Nathan and Jess soon went to find the leader of the camp, one Captain Gilles. They found her in the main tent and soon began asking her questions about how they can help.
Nathan was about to say something when the voice of President Kimball suddenly came on the air of the radio as part of live news coverage by Mister New Vegas. Hard times have recently struck our campaign in the Mojave, Chief Hanlon and two dozen rangers massacred in the middle of the night in an attempt to destroy the morale of our troops. They claim the Rangers have been destroyed, I would like to digress. There are dozens more of rangers out there, in the Mojave alone, there are still three dozen rangers alive and well, and I would like to remind the settlers in the Mojave that the Veteran Rangers are on their way to help save them from the Legion threat. Do not let this make you think we will be overrun. The Legion killed them without honor. They killed innocents simply because they lived in the wrong place at the wrong time. I recieved a letter from a trooper at Camp Golf who told me a soldier there gave this rallying call. Remember Mojave Outpost. Remember Primm. Remember Nipton. Remember Camp Golf. To every NCR citizen, to whom think this war in the Mojave means nothing to them. The very same soldier brought up a good point. We are not just fighting for the freedom of the Mojave. We are fighting for our own freedom. If the Legion takes the Mojave, they will next advance on our home. How would you like to see your loved ones killed? Your children and wife enslaved? Crucified NCR innocents lining the highways? This is how the Mojave will look after the Legion takes it, and California will look much worse when the Legion advances on our homes. You must rally, defend our home and their home! Show those Legion bastards that we just won't roll over and let them take our home! Remember those Massacred! Remember Primm! Remember Golf! Remember Mojave!
(Want to do a Fallout Australia RP next? Texas was fun and you've obviously liked thinking about a post-apocalyptic version of your home.Why don't we experiment with something? I’m busy thinking of the whole post-war scenario as I write this post, and it's looking fairly New Vegas like when I think about it. Cato happened to be listening to the entire radio broadcast as President Kimball spoke about avenging those lost. He sat on a chair, holding his head in his hand and simply chuckling to himself as he heard the words of a pathetic imperialist who believed he was doing the right thing. While his assault on Golf essentially crippled the numbers of the Rangers, the Veterans were en route and likely didn’t number nowhere near as much as he thought. Alongside the entire “reinforcements” that were being sent, the Legion still hilariously outnumbered the NCR by almost 100 to 1. Artillery, dedicated and experienced soldiers and the other advantages that the Legion had were simply terrifying in comparison to the NCR. Along with the most experienced soldiers arriving in the Mojave, the Legion could potentially take the Dam tomorrow with little problems. Of course, Lanius informed Cato that he wanted to ensure that the Legion was as ready as possible to take the Dam. The battle for the Dam had to wait. Cato eventually stood up and walked into Caesars Tent. The Legion had to correct all of the mistakes that they left behind. Some Ranger camps still existed, but the number of Rangers protecting them was miniscule. Veterans were going to be a problem, but they were not invincible. If they bled, they could be killed. Unless something disastrous occurred to the Legion right now, the Legion was going to become the master of the Mojave and take the Dam. The pieces of the puzzle were together, only one more piece remained. That last piece of the puzzle was Bitter Springs.
Janius was standing in Caesar's old tent, in the middle, waiting for Cato when he walked in, holding an envelope, "Cato. I have found...distressing news. It was in a letter meant for me sometime in the near future. However, I would like you to accompany me into the rear of the tent to show you your own letter, which I swear by Jupiter and Mars has been left unopened. Afterwards, I would like to discuss the ramifications of the letters. I'm sorry if it inconveniences any of your planned attacks in the near future." The sound of the howitzer could then be heard before Janius turned and walked into what used to be Caesar's quarters.
Cato looked at Janius with enormous interest, followed him into Caesars quarters. Soon, he looked at a single unopened letter neatly placed on a small table. It was the last remnant of his adopted fathers legacy to him.
Janius slid the envelope towards Cato, "If it is anything like my letter, then it...will be quite the revelation..." he said slowly, "Like how mine said I was captured by the Legion over 20 years ago, and re-educated. Apparently my birth name is John Trueman."
"John....Truemen" Cato said slowly to allow the information to sink in before looking at himself and thinking back. "I couldn't have been re-educated, I was one of Caesars first legionaries. I was there when him and the burned man founded the Legion. I was a Blackfoot!" Cato said in disbelief before looking at the letter and opening it slowly.
"Well, then you likely weren't re-educated." Janius said simply, "But I don't give a damn about my old name. I'm the second in command of the entire Fumentarii division and the Legion's best sniper, I don't care I was this "John Trueman of the Enclave". Anyways. What did he write to you?"
"Let's see" Cato spoke as he lifted up and began to read the letter loud enough for only Janius."To my dear son Cato. I might not have been your real father, but you're the closest thing to a son that I've ever had. I've been proud to call you my son, but I'm not writing this without a reason. I think that it's time for the truth to come out. You are not going to like what I'm about to tell you, so don't get angry. Your real mother was born in California and when you were only a couple weeks old, she vanished into the wastes without a trace. She took you with her, but I have no idea where she ended up. While you might have been abandoned by her, your mother died sometime in 2258. Catherine, had a baby daughter with another man before she went into cardiac arrest. I got this information from a reliable Frumentarii that's located out on the East Coast. The thing is, your 'sister' is alive. She came out of a Vault sometime in 2277, our information ends there. But that's not the only thing. Your real father is known across California as "The Chosen One", a legendary hero in the American Southwest. Aaron Winters was a tribal, much like yourself, and was born in 2221. He changed his name from Aron to Aaron after he decided to make himself legendary. He's the old mayor of New Arroyo, the place where I found out that you were born. He still feels guilt from the child he never got to know, he likely has another family by now. While your father is known to be a hero, he's also known as "The Patriot" in the New California Republic. He's a major reason that the Republic survived today. He is responsible for single handedly destroying the Enclave, and he led the attack on Navarro in 2248. If he figures out that you are alive, and apart of the Legion, he'll come for you. You might be incredibly dangerous as you are, but Aaron is on a whole different level then you. I found you, Cato. Or if you wish to be called by your birth name, Damien Winters. I saved you and the remainder of the Blackfoot's from extinction during those dark times in 2248. I understand that Lanius might seem more suited for a ruthlessly savage military commander, but I know that he might not live that long. I want you Cato, my son, to become the Next Caesar after Lanius. The Legion might seem as a band of barbarians, but this won't matter in the long run. Conquest must be needed first before we can establish a civilization. I wanted to achieve it in my life time, but that will never happen. Clean water, a stable society, education. We can rebuild the world. We can bring together peace to a world at war. We will be forgiven in time for what we once were, because the future is what is important. After the Mojave, reform the Legion and turn it into something greater. You won't be alone in this matter, many Legionaries already support you. You are something that I will never be. You shown me compassion in a dark period of my life, you shown me a different way. I love you, Cato. Mars praise you. - C." Cato looked at the letter in disbelief before repeating some of the acts. "Damien Winters.... and my father is a profligate." he said quietly before looking at Janius. "Father didn't want to build a nation, he wanted to bring peace to the entire world. Ruthless as the Legion could be sometimes, are we worse then the profligates?" he said before looking at the letter. "No, we are not. Lord Caesar wanted to reform the Legion after the Mojave, turn it into something vastly greater. The only thing stopping us from doing so is the Dam. Janius...when I become Caesar, I want you to join me as my right hand man. No more shall we be remembered as who we are, we shall emerge from our victory as heroes and liberators. We were both outcasts to the Legion. You were re-educated and I was born from a profligate womb, we were never true Legionaries to begin with." He then looked Janius straight into the eyes, the milky blue of Cato's eyesight piercing into Janius's soul. "The only question is however, do we both want to become gods?"
Janius responded by taking out two books, both of them Pre-War. "Cato. I want you to see this. This...Is the two books that inspired Caesar. One is called the "Commentarii de Bello Gallico" and was written by a man named Julius Caesar in 58 BC. The other is called "A Brief History of Rome"." He sighed and look to the floor
Cato looked at the two books as he placed them on the table, going through them as his eyes widened in complete shock. "The Legion...is just but a copy of a long dead civilisation. This is...unsettling."
Janius shook his head, "No, worse than that. I've read about this "Rome". We would be considered tribals by them trying to emulate them. This was an empire who was around for 2,000 years. Built some of the greatest marvels of all time. And what are we? An army? That's all."
"A vast army of slavers and murderers" Cato finished before looking at the ground. "This 'Rome' failed to see it's mistakes, and we might be repeating them in the near-future. What are we going to do?"
"Reform." Janius responded, "The first Rome for one reason from what I read; it gave too much power to the military and emperors had to be very charsimatic or else they would have ambitious generals rebelling for control. This made it weak and allowed tribals it had been able to previously crush with ease to be able to invade the weakened Empire." Janius patted the book, "You know, apparently, after this "Roman Empire" fell, humanity was thrown into a time of darkness and backward progress, the fall of a single empire set the world back a thousand years. They had engineering marvels that couldn't be beaten until the 20th century." Janius looked up at Cato, "That's what we should be. We need to bring about our own "Pax Romano", maybe no to America as a whole, but to a land that we can firmly control. This book taught me something, that seeking to expand recklessly as we have is asking for disaster. Such as something called "Tuetonburg Forest", when Rome lost 3 entire legions in 3 days because of the perfect storm of bad leadership, reckless ambition, and betrayal."
Cato nodded in agreement. "The Mojave is still of great importance, but we shouldn't expand our territory past the Mojave Outpost. Eventually, we might only need to hold the entire American Southwest in stability. Anything larger could be disastrous. We need to bring about this Pax Roma, but we must also reform the entire system as a whole. We have a civilian population that is merely nothing but byproducts of our brutality, we should ensure that the safety and well being of the civilian population is in order instead of the focus that the military has. Seeing how this 'Roman Empire' was such a technologically advanced society, perhaps we should invest our time into researching such technologies. For example, I once read about this mechanical vehicle that was the power of an artillery gun with an impenetrable armor. They used to be called "Tanks" or something like that, it was for military use. We need to modernize the military as well, doing so would improve their abilities. But..." Cato then took a seat on the nearby chair. "I think we both need to make a lengthy discussion about this. We might need to inform the rest of our Inner Circle as well about our discovery. Perhaps we should remove some aspects of Ideology, I learn't from this book that there is something unhealthy about our own." (Time-skip or should we go back to Nathan and Jess?)
(go back to Nathan and Jess? Like say they had finished the quests for Bitter Springs, but after they come back one last time, the camp comes under attack from a large scale Legion raid party like in Boone's quest?)
(Let's go with that) Nathan and Jess went around Bitter Springs trying to make sure that the cam remained in the best possible shape while making sure that the came was protected enough from the Legion. Nathan and Jess both happened to know each other fairly well at this point, each knowing about each other and their strengths and weaknesses. The NCR also managed to reinforce the camp with an extra dozen soldiers now ready to repel the Legion, although they would be useless if the attack was large enough. Just before they could both celebrate a job well done, one solider quickly spotted that the Legion was sending a large raiding party to weaken it's defended while taking slaves and ruining the camp. While not a fully fledged assault, the raiding party was strong enough to actually take the camp despite their small numbers. Jess was ready to defend her camp, taking her powerful 45.auto out and getting ready to attack.
Nathan quickly directed the defense, ordering the best shots to stay up on the hill and the others to go to the sandbag walls defending the two entry points, with orders to move wherever the main assault was coming from. Meanwhile, all refugees who had weaponry and was able to fight were ordered to help in the defense while the rest were told to hide the best they could in the camp. As Nathan took up a position on a rock in the middle of the two entry ways. Took a bit of climbing, but it would be worth it as he leveled his rifle towards to attack points and saw an entire conterburnium heading their way. So, he did as the NCR did in the first battle of Hoover Dam and began sending red laserfire at the commanders.
Jess took her pistol, her preferred weapon of choice, and began to devastate the Legionary front line as they dropped like flies in-front of her. She mostly ducked behind the rocks for cover before quickly speeding across from cover to cover while returning fire. Speed was a major factor of hers and the reason she always wore light clothing and armor, and this gift of speed alongside her skill with a pistol that came close to being a gift almost brought her to a surprisingly lethal combination. Jess jumped behind the rocks as the Legionaries began to overwhelm some of the more inexperienced soldiers. Eventually, a small force managed the eastern entry point and they flooded into the camp itself and came from behind, right behind Nathan. Jess quickly backed up over to him and shot one of the leaders directly between the eyes, managing to save her companion from a grizzly end.
(Uh, remember? You can only enter Bitter Springs two ways? So how could they enter the camp from behind? And the Legionaires would have to crawl up that rock in the center to get to Nathan)
